Magyar finds warm welcome in Colorado

Magyar

A familiar voice greeted Kitchener Rangers forward Nick Magyar soon after he was picked by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL draft.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog — himself a former Blueshirt — was on the other end of the line with a message.

"He congratulated me and welcomed me to the team," said Magyar, from Mentor, Ohio, who was selected by the Avs in the fourth round (93rd overall) in Saturday's draft in Philadelphia.

"I got to know him a bit this year. It was really good to hear from him."

The two wingers have history. They both played for the Rangers, were drafted by the Avs and even shared the same dwelling in Kitchener.

"We have the same billets," said Magyar.

The 18-year-old Ohioan was one of two Rangers taken in this past weekend's draft. Centre Ryan MacInnis was a second-round pick (43rd overall) by the Arizona Coyotes.

Kitchener draft pick Jake Evans went in the seventh round to the Montreal Canadiens. The forward played for St. Michael's in the Ontario Junior Hockey League last year and has committed to the University of Notre Dame for next season.

Waterloo native, and North Bay Battalion defenceman, Kyle Wood will join Magyar in Colorado after the Avs scooped him up in the third round (84th overall).

"It's unbelievable," said Magyar. "It was definitely a goal of mine. To actually hear it happen and be there to experience it all is something I'll never forget."

Magyar was flanked by dad Mark, mom Joelle and his brother Drew at the draft but admits that it was tough to sit through three rounds at the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia that day.

"It's definitely nerve wracking just to sit there and hear names called," he said. "But it's just an honour to be there and be in consideration to be drafted. I went in with that mindset and it wasn't too bad."

Besides, as luck would have it, Magyar had some strategic seating — just up from the Avalanche table. So, he didn't have far to go when his name went off the board.

Several teams scouted him. He led the Rangers in scoring this past season with 46 points in 66 games as a rookie. But he got good vibes from the Avs.

"It was probably the best interview I had at the NHL combine," he said. "Both sides connected really well and I was really happy when they called my name."

Colorado's American Hockey League affiliate the Lake Erie Monsters is based in Cleveland, about 20 minutes away from Magyar's home.

But that's not the only connection to the Denver club. The team boasts another former Ranger in defenceman Andre Benoit and Waterloo native John Mitchell, along with Landeskog and Wood.

Several other Rangers were up for the draft — most notably forward Darby Llewellyn and blueliner Frank Hora — but did not get selected. However, some of them have been invited to work out at various NHL camps.

As for Magyar, he has some commitments with the Avalanche before returning for his sophomore season with the Rangers. And he has high aspirations after the team missed the playoffs.

"From a team standpoint we're going to come in expecting a lot more," he said. "We have to come in with the approach that we're not the young team in the league anymore. We're expected to win."